MENTAL HEALTH
& WELLBEING

Keeping our mind in the ‘right here, right now’ rather than ‘the past’ and ‘the future’ is a highly effective self-awareness strategy which helps maintain optimum mental well-being. This is known as ‘Mindfulness. Daily mindfulness practice helps build muscle memory and optimises our ability to innovate, problem solve and communicate (and repeat these behaviours daily in work roles).

We as humans thrive when we see and hear each other on a regular basis. So, its time to embrace technology and keep interaction flowing regularly with your team. Connection is an essential ingredient to keep our emotional system healthy and reduce stress and anxiety. Make it fun and engaging and you will rapidly build team morale and employee engagement during these challenging times.

Juggling the demands of instant business transformation is stressful. Not to mention coupling this with everyday business uncertainty that we already experience. Now, things have become totally unpredictable. So, nurturing and communicating with our clients and customers of our continued business gives them certainty. Ensuring we are responding daily to phone calls, emails and across social platforms, increases their sense of certainty and further strengthens our existing relationships with clients and customers.

While we are all focused on shielding our families from COVID-19, finding balance at home will be one of the greatest challenges we face. Our focus needs to be on keeping our children ‘mentally healthy’ and socially connected, and continuing to run a viable business as we reconfigure to 24/7 home life. It is important to encourage flexibility at home with time and resources and remember, that its our families and communities together, against COVID-19.

This is a once in a life time opportunity to spend more time with, and enjoy our children (as much as the grandparents do). We need to be creative and ‘House Party, Skype, Facetime, and Zoom’ to connect with extended family and friends. There is also convenient access to phone and video (Telehealth) services now available to help your family thrive. It is also easy to access continued support for children through online services such as child behaviour and mental health assessments. This can help parents navigate the challenges that a child may have and empower parents with management solutions.

Our sleep quality and duration is affected by stress and anxiety. We need to make sure we are doing activities daily that switch on our ‘relaxation response’. Exercise is key, as is making sure we have a regular wake up and sleep time. Make sure to keep the bedroom for rest, relaxation and …. recreation (with partner) only. This will ensure you don’t start developing insomnia.

Business is tough on business people’s mental health with the ‘normal’ challenges. As business is changing, our routines are changing and our need for maximising productivity is increasing. You might have noticed a change in your ‘mood’, and your effectiveness in your work or other life roles. You might also have noticed ‘unhelpful coping behaviours’ (drinking, avoiding problems etc..,). During this time, you might need a ‘mental health’ check-up and some coaching from a psychologist. Reach out for help, it is a sign of strength.